The present invention relates to a lens-fitted photographic film package, and more particularly to a lens-fitted photographic film package in which a photographic film, a taking lens and an exposure device with their associated elements are incorporated in a light-tight film case as an integral whole.
A lens-fitted photographic film package now on the market provides many chances to enjoy oneself by conveniently taking pictures even with no camera. This lens-fitted photographic film package comprises, as an integral whole, a film case having a taking lens and a simple exposure mechanism which includes a film winding mechanism and a shutter mechanism with their associated elements incorporated in the film case, and a 110-size cartridge film or a film contained in a 35 mm-size film patrone previously packaged in the film case, which can be sold wherever photographic film is sold. This lens-fitted photographic film package can be sold at low cost because there need be no provision of a film loading back cover, a film rewinding mechanism, a complicated exposure control mechanism and so forth, and provides photographers with trouble-free amusement when taking pictures because there is no need to load and unload a film.
The lens-fitted photographic film package, after the exposure of all frames of the film, is forwarded to a photo shop or photo laboratory without removing the film. There, the exposed film in a film cartridge is removed by breaking open the film package and is then developed to make prints therefrom while the empty film package is scrapped. The prints together with the developed film are returned to the customer.
If the lens-fitted photographic film package is provided with a back cover for loading and unloading a film cartridge or a film patrone after exposure, it is impossible to make the lens-fitted photographic film package at a low cost. Furthermore, the provision of such a back cover would allow users to load another film cartridge or patrone in the used photographic film package and to reuse it. Because the lens-fitted photographic film package is generally intended not only to avoid any reuse thereof but also to be sold at a low cost, poor quality pictures will be possibly made if the lens-fitted photographic film package is reused. For avoiding such reuse, the lens-fitted photographic film package can be provided with a back cover that can be opened only by destroying the package. The provision of such an unopenable back cover forces photographers to destroy the lens-fitted photographic film package if the photographer attempts to take out the film himself. Therefore, the provision of an unopenable back cover can prevent the used lens-fitted photographic film package from being reused. However, if the unopenable back cover is unduly difficult to break open, the film in the lens-fitted photographic film package may be destroyed even in the photo shop or laboratory. Thus it is desirable that photo shops wherein a large number of lens-fitted photographic film packages are handled for processing be able readily to break the lens-fitted photographic film package to take out the film.